Colonist Labour Camp no 125
by Sandileina
Summary: Alternative Universe: OZ is the victor of the One Year War. The Gundams never existed. Three of the boys live in a Labour Camp for colonists, and they've resigned themselves to their fate. But then something, or rather someone, arrives and becomes a sh...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Gundam Wing to you? Ok, I am Japanese, but no. Seriously, I do not own the Gundam boys, and I certainly have nothing worth suing me for.

Rating: R for safety, but this may change later.

Warnings: Um, good question. Shounen-ai/yaoi, violence, general cruelty all round. Language, angst (can't do without the angst!), um… I think that's it. I'll be adding to this list as I go along, probably, so keep an eye on it people!

Pairings: Ooh, secret.

Summary: Alternative Universe: OZ is the victor of the One Year War. The Gundams never existed. Three of the boys live in a Labour Camp for colonists, and they've resigned themselves to their fate. But then something, or rather someone, arrives and becomes a shining beacon of hope in the darkness...

Author's notes: I have no idea where this came from. I was sitting in my History class when BAM! Out of the blue, Misu (one of my plot bunnies) hit me in the stomach. It hurt you know, have some sympathy…

DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

High, high above the soil of the Earth is the blanket of clouds, sun and stars known as the sky.

I used to think of the sky like I did our dictator; it loomed over us and whatever it decided, be it rain, snow or hail, could not be changed by anyone.

But when I was seventeen years old, something happened. Something happened that changed everything.

A single branch on a single tree, if you will, rose up, fighting against the pull of gravity, growing higher and higher until it touched the sky itself, and made itself a place in its heart.

There are many different versions of this story, I am sure, but this is what really happened. This is the truth. It is a story of hardship, struggle, determination and love.

I know it, because I was there.

Another hard day of work. Another day of fiddling with bits of metal, of digging in the dirt, of turning cranks, of doing what you did every day.

No-one had a choice; if they rebelled, they were shot. If they looked resentful or angry, they were tortured then sent back to work. The same went for those who protested for whatever reason.

It would have been mindlessly stupid to resist the control and power of OZ. It simply couldn't be done.

A tall brown haired boy, who looked maybe around sixteen, dug his rusty spade into the soil again. For the 3,679th time since six that morning. The boy had started counting the number of times he drove the spade into the unforgiving soil each day, trying to relieve some of the monotony. He'd even worked out the average amount of times he was able to do so; his average was 4 per 10 seconds, which meant 24 per minute, which was 1,440 an hour. It was pretty accurate.

"Hey, 4603!"

The boy raised his emerald-green eyes to the man wearing the standard OZ officer uniform. Ah. Lieutenant Nichol.

"Sir?" he asked quietly, docilely.

"There seems to be a problem with your spade," Lieutenant Nichol said sternly.

4603, or 03 for short, frowned ever so slightly in bewilderment and crouched a little to investigate the digging tool.

He was sent sprawling with a hefty kick to his backside.

03 got up gracefully and quickly, fighting to keep his face indifferent as Nichol and the other officers nearby roared with malicious laughter. He kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, silently hating the OZ officers.

"Get back to work, colony trash," Nichol sneered.

It was November 19th, AC 196, if you weren't loyal to the new dictator. Of course, if you were, then the year was CD 0. Colonies' Defeat. Before that was BP. AC 195 for example, was now known as BP 1. Which stood for Before Peace. Everyone referred to the years in this new way of course, but ex-colonists and people who sympathised with them used the old way in their heads, or perhaps among very close family and friends.

There had been a great war; the One Year War, people called it, as it had lasted exactly one year. The Earth against the Colonies. The colonies put up a brave fight, but they simply didn't have the resources to win the war. And so OZ, the force fighting for the Earth, had won, and its leader became the Emperor of the World.

The colonists were rounded up and the elderly or children below the age of ten were put to death. The ones that were left were taken to Labour Camps, which were situated in various places around the Earth Sphere. There they worked all day, from six am to eight pm, seven days a week. Needless to say, there were some colonists who died from the sheer amount of manual labour alone.

It was a terrible life. There was no knowing whether a person would suddenly be whisked away for a torture session on the whim of an OZ officer, or even killed. The living conditions were disgusting; cramped, dirty and bare with no windows, just a cold metal door. A person was lucky if they had a blanket. As for pillows, they were a luxury that maybe one or two people in an entire camp had.

But of course, they were only getting their dues. After all, they were colonists, right? Colonists didn't have rights. They didn't deserve them.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Sandy: Hmm. Remind you of anything…? I wonder how many people will spot it. It wasn't meant to turn out like that, but when I'd finished this chapter I read through it and thought; 'Hey, this sounds familiar…'

Read and review please! I'd love to hear what you think. This is my first ever fanfic, so go easy, hmm? .;; I am terrible at coming up with titles for stuff, so if you have any suggestions… -begs nicely-

Oh, and the OZ dictator isn't who you think it is. Unless you're psychic, in which case it might be.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Gundam Wing to you? Ok, I am Japanese, but no. Seriously, I do not own the Gundam boys, and I certainly have nothing worth suing me for.

Rating: R for safety, but this may change later.

Warnings: Um, good question. Shounen-ai/yaoi, violence, general cruelty all round. Language, angst (can't do without the angst!), um… I think that's it. I'll be adding to this list as I go along, probably, so keep an eye on it people!

Pairings: Ooh, secret.

Author's notes: Thankyou SO much to **thewarriorkai**, who is my first EVER reviewer! (Throws muffins) There you go, you wonderful person you! Keep right on hounding, darlin'. And I am honoured to be on your favourites list. Everyone else, please do review and tell me what you think. Reviews do make me write faster, honest! As I said before, title suggestions are appreciated ;;

PPPPPPPPP

03 only permitted himself a sigh once he was safely inside the small room he lived in. Well, spent his nights in anyway. He ached all over, especially down his muscular arms, which quivered slightly from strain and exhaustion.

The tall boy sat on top of the worn blanket that he slept under most nights (everyone he shared the room with would take it in turns to give their blanket to 3077, who didn't have one) and stretched his legs and upper body, hoping to stop the aches from worsening.

He glanced up as the door opened and two of his roommates appeared, both looking weary, tired, in pain. Three people shared the room, besides 03. 3077 was a twelve year old girl, but the other two were boys of 03's age. One of them was, by incredible and happy chance, 03's best friend from the colonies. He was from L5 originally, but had moved to L3 when his wife from an arranged marriage became a 'casualty of war', as OZ called the citizens they massacred. He was Chinese, and so got picked on a little worse than perhaps some of the Caucasian colonists.

03 admired the strength his friend had. Like himself, 4505 hid his feelings very well indeed, but 03 sometimes couldn't help but let the mask slip, and let anger or resentment flash across his face before managing to regain it. He'd never, ever seen 4505 do so. Not only that, but 4505 occasionally managed to look serene and peaceful while working. 03 had asked him once how he was able to do so amidst such suffering and injustice, but 4505 had simply told him something about "meditating" and "waiting for the right moment".

The other boy was 3904, and he came from the L4 colony. With his blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin, it was hard to believe that he was of Arabic origin. But apparently he was descended from Northern Egyptian people, some of whom did have blonde hair, etc. (1)

03 and 05 met 04 the day they'd first been taken into this Labour Camp. They'd turned the corner of a corridor in the living quarters, walking side by side as close as they could without hampering each other, nearly fainting with gratitude that they had been able to stay together. And they were greeted by a shy smile and compassionate aquamarine eyes.

Since then, the three had been firm friends. 04 was as kindly as he appeared, but much stronger. If 03 was completely honest, he would have to admit that he didn't think 04 would last two weeks.

But he did. And the next two weeks after that, and after that, until 03 and 05 finally accepted that 04 was pretty much as tough as they were, and wouldn't die in a hurry. Provided he kept his head down, that is.

"Hello, 03," 04 sighed, smiling tiredly and letting his legs fall from underneath him so that he was seated on his own blanket. "How was your day?"

"Shit," 03 replied briefly. "I dug. You?"

04 nodded sympathetically. "I was on metal work today. I think I was making either mobile suit parts, or really pointless children's toys."

03 allowed a very small smile to grace his elegant features. He was constantly grateful for 04's ability to make him feel better simply by making a tiny joke, even if it wasn't particularly funny. He nodded at 3077 kindly. "Ok, 77?"

77 looked up from where she was lying on her stomach, resting her head on her arms. "Yeah, m'fine," she said quietly. "Just tired, that's all."

04 looked at 77 and chewed his lower lip worriedly. He glanced at 03 and smiled sadly. 'Poor thing,' he mouthed. 03 nodded and leant back against the concrete wall. "Where's 05?" he asked, frowning a little.

"I'm not sure," was the less than heartening reply. "He passed me in the factory this morning at around ten. I think he was delivering something. But he was definitely digging for the rest of the day, on the other side of the camp. He'll be back soon." 04 smiled at his joint-best friend reassuringly. 'He'll be fine,' that smile said.

Right on cue, the steel door opened and 05 walked inside gracefully, without so much as a hint of a limp, soreness or anything that implied he'd been working all day. 03 resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Evening, 05," 04 said cheerfully, giving 03 an 'I-told-you-so' look.

"Evening," 05 replied a little distractedly. "Did you hear about that colonist they found?"

04 frowned and looked at 03, who shook his head. "No, we haven't," 04 said, curious. "They found some more? How did they manage to hide away for so long? It's been, what, just under a whole year now?"

05 shook his head. "It was just one. A teenage boy. And I have absolutely no idea how in hell he managed to evade OZ for so long. They've found him now though. He was in Spain somewhere, I didn't get to find out where exactly. Apparently he's going to be arriving in this camp tomorrow."

The Arab nodded thoughtfully. "He must have had some very good friends. That, or he's just ridiculously good at hiding."

"Yeah." 05 huddled up against the wall; it was his turn to give 77 his blanket. "I hope OZ puts him in our living block, if not our room. Which won't happen, I'm sure. I'd like to see him, talk to him, find out how he managed to stay hidden for eleven months."

04 smiled. "That would be nice," he agreed. He looked over at 77, to see that the girl was lying flat on her back and had fallen fast asleep. He scooted over to the far wall (which wasn't really far at all) and settled in between 03 and 05. He suddenly coughed a couple of times and rubbed at his throat, wincing slightly.

03 frowned minutely in concern. "04? Ok?" he asked.

04 nodded. "Of course I am. Just a sore throat, that's all."

03's frown deepened in suspicion. "You'd tell us if you were sick, right?" he probed.

The blonde boy sighed. "Ok, so maybe I'm just a tiny little bit ill," he shrugged. "But really, it's fine."

The Chinese youth frowned darkly, all thoughts of the newly captured colonist gone in an instant. "Ill? As in flu? Or as in you were hurt by those OZ bastards?"

04 shook his head. "No, I think it's just a cold or something. The officers are leaving me alone, thank goodness. It only started today; I sneezed a couple of times."

03 watched the boy seated next to him with his piercing green eyes. "You'll be ok," he said at last, with as much confidence as he could muster.

But he barely had enough for himself, and all three of them knew that something as simple as a cold was enough to kill someone coupled with the amount of labour they did, especially one as young as they were.

PPPPPPPPP

03, 04 and 05 were all working together, which was a rare blessing. They were digging again, which was extremely unfair on 05 who had been digging for the past three days. It was hard enough to do it for two days running, let alone four. But of course there was nothing he could do except grit his teeth and bear it.

Both 05 and 03 kept a watchful eye on 04 whenever they could, but he seemed perfectly fine. He coughed once or twice, but his assurances of the previous night that he was fine seemed valid.

Suddenly the gates of the Labour Camp, the two rusty metal icons of imprisonment and death, swung open. Perhaps 'suddenly and 'swung' were the wrong words; they reluctantly ground forwards, persuaded by the OZ officer working the mechanical levers.

A few people stopped working for a moment, watching this highly unusual event, but hastily resumed it after being struck cruelly with guns, booted feet or any other convenient weapon. But everyone watched the gates out of the corners of their eyes.

Two OZ officers walked in, one on each side of their prisoner as an escort. 03 recognised the one on the left of the prisoner as Corporal Trant (2), a particularly vicious sadist who had left the camp about six months before, to every colonists' relief. The one on the right looked to be in his mid/late twenties. He wore the mark of a Colonel, amazing for one so young, but 03 didn't recognise him. And, judging by the brief glance of puzzlement he got from 04 and 05, they didn't either.

The prisoner himself was…

03 couldn't get a good enough look, as the boy suddenly and effectively created chaos.

PPPPPPPPP

(1) Yeah, apparently this is true. shrugs I never knew there was such a thing as Arabic people who had blonde hair and blue eyes, but there are.

(2) What rank is Trant in the series? I can't for the life of me remember, and I'm lending my DVDs out… Can someone tell me and I'll change it? Thanks.

Sandy: Eh heh. ;; I'm slightly unkind, aren't I? I'm not letting you know who the prisoner is. And I probably won't be posting the next chapter for a while… I somehow managed to push aside all my homework etc to produce two chapters in two days. I'm sorry to say that the chances of this happening again are very remote indeed. But I'll definitely try to get one chapter per week out.

Please review! You'd make me very happy, and I will give you muffins, or any other confection you wish for

04: Wow. A whole two chapters, and your favourite character hasn't appeared yet…! Oh, and can you please stop calling me 04? I'm a human being you know.

Sandy: Not in the eyes of OZ you're not. Fine, fine… I'll call you Quatre in the author's notes, ok?

Quatre: … Good enough. When will your favourite character be appearing then?

Sandy: You'll see.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Gundam Wing to you? Ok, I am Japanese, but no. Seriously, I do not own the Gundam boys, and I certainly have nothing worth suing me for.

Rating: R for safety, but this may change later.

Warnings: Um, good question. Shounen-ai/yaoi, violence, general cruelty all round. Language, angst (can't do without the angst!), um… I think that's it. I'll be adding to this list as I go along, probably, so keep an eye on it people!

Pairings: Ooh, secret.

Author's notes: Well, I guess you get to find out who the new prisoner is in this chapter. It didn't take that long for me to produce this chapter, right? I'm quite proud of myself really.

Right, to avoid confusion, this is the hierarchy of OZ ranks. I know it's not strictly correct, but OZ isn't real, darlings.

General

Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Colonel)

Major

Captain

Lieutenant

Corporal

Anyway, please read and review!

As always, title suggestions are hugely appreciated.

PPPPPPPPP

Corporal Trant and the mysterious Colonel were down before 03 had even realised what was happening. Or before anyone else realised, for that matter.

Unfortunately, the OZ officers weren't as stupid as many would like to believe and they reacted fast, running forward towards the boy trying to reach the gate.

Everyone had stopped working by this point, grateful for the reprieve and silently willing the boy to reach his destination, to escape, spit in the face of OZ like they all longed to do but couldn't.

"Go on," 05 hissed under his breath, "Go on…!"

But it wasn't to be. As the boy changed direction sharply, his long chestnut braid flew out behind him and Captain Mueller reached out and grabbed it. The boy's head was yanked sharply back and most of the colonists winced. That must have hurt his neck. He was yanked over completely and lay on the dirty ground, trying to get back up.

"Fucking _colonist_," Captain Mueller snarled, pulling viciously on the braid. "How DARE you!" The boy's hands flew to the top of his braid, trying to ease the painful pulling, his eyes shut momentarily.

When they opened again a second later, 03 could see wild anger, hate, dancing demonically in pools of violet, the most unusual eyes 03 had ever seen. "Get the fuck offa me!" the boy yelled furiously, finally managing to get back onto his feet. He lashed out with his right foot, connecting solidly with the Captain's knee. There was a distinct crack, and many satisfied expressions could be seen on the faces of the colonists.

Captain Mueller paled and he yelled in pain, but to his credit he didn't relinquish his hold on the chestnut braid. The boy tried to kick him again, but by that time four other officers had arrived and one of them raised a sniper rifle into the air above and behind the back of the boy's head.

'Look out!' 03 wanted to scream, but he didn't. It wasn't as if his warning would have done any good anyway. And besides, if any of the OZ officers remembered his voice, then he was definitely dead meat.

The rifle crashed down on the boy's head with a sickening thud and he collapsed, his fall prevented by the vicious grip on his hair that Captain Mueller still retained. He tried to get up again, feebly, and the sniper rifle was brought down again with another thud.

The teenage colonist's eyes rolled up into his head and closed, finally going limp. He was slung over Corporal Bough's shoulder, a huge burly officer who made the boy look tiny, frail, so young. Then he was carried away into one of the detention blocks.

Several officers helped Captain Mueller, Corporal Trant and the Colonel to stand. All of them had been kicked in the leg, and so they were helped to walk to the same detention block that the rogue colonist had disappeared into.

The remaining officers went back to the groups of watching colonists, who hastily resumed work, praying that their captors hadn't been put into a bad mood.

03 and 05 watched with stony faces as 3077 was randomly pulled out from the group. 04 bit his tongue and his eyes went wide with fear for the young girl.

"Are you glad the little fucker didn't get away?" Lieutenant Nichol asked, deceptively quietly. He bent slightly so that he was face to face with 77. "Well!" His voice rose to a shout.

77 didn't flinch however, and every labourer felt a surge of pride. "Yes, sir," she replied, her voice just above a whisper.

"Oh, really." It wasn't a question. "I think you're lying."

"No, sir." Now 77 was looking scared, staring at the ground and balling her hands into fists to stop them trembling.

"Liar." The single word was spoken almost cheerfully. 77 dared to look up.

04 shut his eyes and looked away, his shoulders shaking as a gunshot was fired into the body of the girl.

PPPPPPPPP

"I don't think he'll survive the night."

"Really? I do. I don't think OZ will kill him just yet."

"But they're definitely gonna beat him. Did you see how slender he was? There's no way he'll survive if he's given a really bad beating."

"That's what I used to think about 04."

"Fair point."

The hushed voices spoke as quickly as they could without becoming incoherent, trying to get as much of the conversation done as possible.

It was 8:30 pm, and 03, 04 and 05 were in the showers along with three others; 5647, 1009 and 3998. 47 and 09 were girls, but no-one, including themselves, could summon the required energy to care.

"Let's say for the sake of argument that he does survive. Where do you think he's gonna be put? Blocks A and C are full, right? That leaves B, which is ours. D'you think…" 47, a pretty German girl with dark hair, was cut off abruptly by 05.

"Shh!"

47 frowned and looked out of the shower room door. "There's no-one there," she said. "We'd hear if there was, don't worry."

"Not his point," 03 replied quietly.

47 and 98 looked briefly puzzled, but 09 nudged them and pointed.

04 stood in the corner, not participating in the conversation. He stared blankly at the wall, blinking every so often to get the lukewarm shower water out of his eyes. And possibly something else too, 03 suspected.

"Oh, God…" 47 whispered, guilt stricken. "I forgot… I didn't mean to…"

05 shook his head and walked over silently. "04?" he probed quietly. He laid a hand on 04's shoulder. "04, she'll be fine. She's a strong girl." But then he gasped. "You're burning up!" he snapped. "You've got a fever. Why didn't you _say_ something!"

03 instantly hurried over, slipping a little on the wet tiles. "What?"

"04's got a fever," 05 repeated, scowling furiously. But his hand was suddenly pushed away by the considerably paler one of 04.

"I'm fine," he said firmly. "Just worried, that's all. I'm not ill or anything. Don't worry over me."

The Chinese boy sighed. He sent 03 a pleading glance. The tall boy nudged 05 out of the way gently and put his arm round 04's shoulders. "77 will be fine. She's in 4988's room; 4988 used to be a doctor. She'll take care of 77, make sure she's ok."

04 frowned and looked up at the gentle face of 03. "She's allowed to? Why is OZ letting her do that? Surely it's far better to just let 77 die?" he wondered bitterly.

"4988 was an OZ Major in the War, and still has a small amount of influence among those who respected her," was the calm, soothing reply.

"…What? So why is she in here with us?" 04 asked, confused. 09, 47 and 98 looked puzzled as well.

"She changed sides," 05 replied. "She joined us and fought for the colonies."

04 looked thoughtful, not quite so sorrowful now. "Is this a woman in her late twenties, strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, quite tall?"

"Yes," 03 and 05 affirmed in unison.

A sunny, hopeful smiled broke out onto 04's face. "I met her once," he breathed. "She's wonderful. She's really taking care of 77?"

Everyone nodded, including the girls and 98. Even though they still weren't too sure who 4988 was, all of them were immensely fond of the gentle Arabic boy and jumped at the chance to reassure him.

04's eyes glistened with tears and he closed them, sighing thankfully, some of the tension and worry leaving him with that sigh. "Thank Allah," he whispered shakily.

03 hugged the relieved boy and stepped back, allowing 05 to give 04 a hug as well.

"Next chance you get, I want you to ask 4988 to check you as well," 05 said sternly. "I don't care whether you think you're fine or not, better safe than sorry."

04 rolled his eyes but smiled. "Alright," he said agreeably. He finished his shower and stepped out of the water, drying himself off with his thin shirt and pulling his worn brown trousers on.

03 and 05 finished their showers a few seconds after 04 and they too dried themselves with their upper clothes and put on the rest of their clothes, which they had been allowed to keep from the time they had been captured. This wasn't out of kindness on OZ's behalf of course; it would have been far too expensive to give every single colonist a 'uniform' to wear.

"Goodnight," 04 said to the girls and 98, before stepping out of the shower room.

"Night, 04," they called back in perfect unison, as they had been doing for the last five months. "Night 05, night 03."

"Goodnight," 05 replied, giving a slight bow. 03 nodded at them and followed his roommates, shaking his oddly styled hair out of his eyes where it flopped when it was wet like it was.

The three were escorted back to their rooms by two OZ officers and locked in as per usual. The only light in the room came from the moon outside, which was a perfect crescent.

"Goodnight," 04 whispered. His roommates didn't reply, but 04 knew they returned the sentiment.

03 tucked the dark blue blanket tightly around him. It had been his turn to give 77 his blanket. But he knew she would be kept warm; 4988 would see to that, he was sure. 04 seemed to have a lot of faith in the woman, and 03 trusted him implicitly. His emerald green eyes smiled fondly across the room at the peaceful features of the blonde boy before closing and preparing for sleep.

PPPPPPPPP

Sandy: Well, it was a little bit longer than the previous chapters. ;; I will try to make the next one at LEAST 7 pages, honest!

Wufei: Pft. Yeah right.

Sandy: Oi!

Review, please! They make me write faster, and I'll give you any confection you wish for. They're yummy, honest…!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Gundam Wing to you? Ok, I am Japanese, but no. Seriously, I do not own the Gundam boys, and I certainly have nothing worth suing me for.

Rating: R for safety, but this may change later.

Warnings: Um, good question. Shounen-ai/yaoi, violence, general cruelty all round. Language, angst (can't do without the angst!), OOC (I try my best, but sometimes they just slip out of character…), brief racism, um… I think that's it. I'll be adding to this list as I go along, probably, so keep an eye on it people!

Pairings: Ooh, secret.

Author's notes: **Armygundamgal**: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the fic so far.

OZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZ

Metalwork was an extremely welcome change for 05. True, it was considerably hotter, but it wasn't nearly as monotonous and he actually got to sit down. So he was glad.

The whirring machines operated smoothly, with barely any clunks disturbing the lulling rhythm. A person working here had to have strong presence of mind to ensure that they didn't get drowsy from the heat and soothing sounds and make a (possibly fatal is the overseeing officers spotted it) mistake, or even fall asleep.

It was lucky then, that 05 was a master at controlling his own mind.

Receive the small, flat piece of metal from the conveyor belt behind his seat, turn around, put the metal in a vice, turn a lever to the side of the vice that brought down a heavy anvil-like object which bent the metal, take the metal out of the vice, drill two holes into one side, one hole on the other, throw the metal onto another conveyor belt in front of him where it would be carried off for the next process. And repeat until you are almost in tears from boredom and tiredness.

It was hard to guess, but 05 and those around him were making engine parts for Virgo mobile dolls. Or suits, or whatever. 05 wasn't a mechanic and never had been, so he wasn't entirely sure what his bits of metal were for, but they definitely went in the engine. Or at least, that's what Lieutenant Colonel Septem (1) had said.

Looking up, 05 suddenly spotted strawberry blonde hair twisted roughly into two pigtails, resting over the shoulders and down the front of a woman sitting not opposite him, but about four places away from the person opposite 05. He frowned and turned his head, straining to see the person's face which was being obscured by machinery. In the end, he managed it by ducking his head so low that it was almost on the table.

His suspicions had been correct; the woman was 4988. She looked immensely tired; there were fierce shadows underneath her ice blue eyes and her face was pale and gaunt. It was entirely possible of course that she generally looked like this due to the labour etc, but 05 suspected that she had been up most of the night taking care of 77, and his heart warmed. 04's trust was well-founded, it would seem.

05 glanced over his shoulder, then around him, making sure that he wasn't being watched by any of the officers. Then he nudged the person next to him. Ducking his head conspiratorially, he said as quietly as he could whilst still being heard over the machines, "Pass the message on to 4988, the woman with blonde pigtails opposite 6610; how is 77 doing?"

The man next to 05 nodded and turned away from him to the young boy on his other side and, like 05, checked around him for OZ before muttering the message. And so it was passed on until 05 saw it reach 4988, who ducked her head so that she could see 05's face and vice versa. Then she smiled reassuringly and mouthed, 'She's going to be fine.'

05 bowed his head in a gesture of thanks and respect as best he could before resuming work, feeling a little better.

He worked solidly without any distraction until just before 1:00, the time the overseeing officers got their lunch break and were replaced with new officers who'd just had theirs. The colonists didn't get a lunch break, which naturally contributed enormously to fatigue. They did get a break at 3:00 for forty-five minutes, in which most of them would eat the food they saved from breakfast. Then it was back to work until 8:00 pm.

But as the overseeing officers were being relieved, 05 spotted 4988 getting up and walking towards the exit. She said a few words to the officer at the door before exiting, leaving behind her a lot of puzzled colonist workers.

05 frowned. Was 4988 allowed a lunch break because of who she used to be? Surely not?

White sparks exploded before his eyes as he was whacked on the back of the head with something heavy; 05 assumed it was a gun. He swore angrily at himself for staring and stopping work without realising it.

"See something you like, chink?" the officer who'd hit him growled.

"Apologies," 05 said as submissively as he could with the rage he felt bubbling inside him. Bastard racist OZ, thought they were so bloody superior…

"Apologies _what_?"

05 blinked once in confusion before realising his second grave mistake. Shit, he really wasn't on top of himself today. "Sir. Apologies, sir."

He was abruptly yanked up and out of his seat by the front of his shirt. 05 took a single deep breath, then relaxed himself as much as possible, making sure there was a sorry expression on his face, and blanking out his thoughts.

"Getting a little rebellious, huh?" The last word was punctuated by a rough shake. 05 was grateful that he hadn't been hoisted into the air; at least with his feet on the ground, he could brace himself and take the worst of the shake out by following the movement of his upper body with his legs.

"No sir." 05 had briefly considered not replying, in case it was a rhetorical question, but he decided that that might just make the situation worse if he was wrong. At least if he replied and it had been a rhetorical question after all, not much harm could be done other than the officer thinking he was stupid. Which would bite at his pride, but wouldn't do any real damage.

"Maybe you need a little reminder of your place here?" the officer asked, grinning sadistically.

'_Blank mind, blank mind, blank mind_…' 05 chanted inside his head. "I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again."

"Yeah, it definitely won't…" the officer replied darkly. He started to drag 05 away from the machines towards the exit, an anticipatory grin on his cruel face.

"Lieutenant Sedeci." The calm, aristocratic sounding voice sounded clear even above the noise of the machines.

The officer holding the front of 05's shirt spun around faster than 05 thought possible of the bulky man. "Sir!" he said, coming smartly to attention.

"Where are you taking the boy?" 05 spotted the man talking; it was the tall Colonel who had been escorting the boy with a braid along with Corporal Trant. The man was making his way over, walking straight-backed and proud. To 05's profound disappointment, there was no sign of a limp.

"He was being rude and refused to obey orders," Lieutenant Sedeci replied smoothly.

'What orders!' 05 thought indignantly.

"Oh? And what orders were these?" the Colonel asked, almost as if he had read 05's mind.

"He… I asked…" Lieutenant Sedeci spluttered. 05 would have smirked if the situation wasn't so grave. "I requested that he pick up a piece of metal that he dropped. He refused."

'Liar,' 05's mind snarled.

"Ah. I see." The Colonel turned away and 05's heart sank. Not that he had expected help, but still…

Lieutenant Sedeci smirked at 05 maliciously and hissed, "Thought you were gonna get away with it, chink? No such luck I'm afraid." He started to pull 05 towards the door again.

"I'll deal with him."

If anything, 05 felt worse. He had been relatively confident about his chances of survival at the hands of Lieutenant Sedeci; He knew at least five others who'd 'attended' a torture session with him and survived, not too badly hurt. Lieutenant Sedeci wasn't a hardcore sadist, like Corporal Trant was for example, he just liked to watch fear on other people's faces and know he was the cause. But this new, completely unknown Colonel… He was a different matter altogether. 05 had absolutely no idea or way of knowing what he would be like.

"Yes sir. Of course, sir." Lieutenant Sedeci released 05's shirt, an ugly look on his (already ugly) face. 'This isn't over,' that look seemed to say.

"Come here," the Colonel beckoned. 05 did so, dread settling in his stomach like lead. He stood beside the tall, blue-eyed Colonel with his eyes fixed firmly on the ground. "Stand up straight," the Colonel commanded. 05 stretched himself up straighter. The Colonel sighed and 05 wondered wildly what he'd done now. "I meant hold your head up."

05 almost frowned but remembered not to at the last second. He complied, keeping his gaze straight ahead of him so that he still wasn't looking the Colonel in the eye; the officer was a good six inches or so taller than him.

"Hmm," the Colonel said, in an 'I-suppose-that'll-do' sort of voice. "I was watching you working just before Sedeci came over to you. You didn't drop anything, did you…" he checked the number sewn onto 05's dark purple-blue top, "4505?"

"No sir," 05 replied carefully, aware that he was walking a very fine line indeed. One wrong word could send him toppling.

"I didn't think so. Don't stop working to stare, though," the Colonel said, his voice turning sterner suddenly. "Understood, 4505?"

"Yes, sir," 05 answered, butterflies fluttering hopefully in his stomach.

"Good. Back to work, then," the Colonel said. He spun gracefully on his heel and walked towards his post at the front of the room.

05 blinked, knees threatening to fold on him. That was… what? 'Back to work'… that was it! No torture session, no execution, not even a solitary detention!

05 hurried back to his seat with as much dignity as he could muster, grateful when he got there that his knees didn't give out.

OZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZ

"And… he just let you go? Just like that?" 04 sounded utterly incredulous.

"Yes," 05 nodded earnestly. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but…" he shrugged.

04 took another mouthful of food and chewed thoughtfully, a little frown on his gentle face. He swallowed and said, "What was the Colonel's name again?"

05 shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? I don't know."

"Arenada, or Shrenada, or something like that," 03 chipped in quietly. "Some of the officers near me were discussing him. But the machines were too loud; I couldn't hear them properly."

"Wow, 03 actually said more than two sentences!" 47 cheered sarcastically, grinning at him. She was pulling idly at her short purpley-black hair; not natural, of course. It was dyed. Her original hair colour was apparently dark brown, or so said 09. She should know, 03 supposed; they'd gotten their hair dyed that colour together when they were still living free. Though 09's hair leaned more towards dark bluey-black rather than purpley-black… Anyway.

"Shut up," 05 retorted, knowing that his best friend wouldn't bother to reply.

03 nodded in thanks at 05, eating his nondescript rations slowly. Today's dinner menu was Chewy Green and Brown Things that Taste Vaguely like Meat and Vegetables.

"See?" 47 said triumphantly. "He usually doesn't say anything!"

"We've been over this twice," 04 said firmly, but it was obvious that he was trying not to smile.

"So? It's fun to tease him! Betcha anything he likes it," 47 laughed. A little too loud.

"You there, girl!"

"Oh, shit…" 47 whispered, fear blossoming on her face. 09 took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Stand up!"

The entire room went silent. Most stared hard at their food, a few watched the scene in trepidation.

47 swallowed and stood up, adopting the familiar head-down stance. 09 gave her hand one last squeeze, then let go.

A large officer that 03 didn't know the name of but had seen around stalked over to their table. He stood behind 47 and paused, almost thoughtfully, before suddenly backhanding 47 so hard that she fell sideways, catching the metal bench with her hip and letting out a very small cry of pain. She got up shakily, wincing and trying hard not to rub her jaw where the officer had hit her.

"What was so funny that you had to disturb our conversation, bitch?" the officer sneered, evidently enjoying himself.

"Nothing, sir," 47 replied meekly, eyes wider than normal.

There was a crashing sound as the officer (a Captain, 05 could see now) banged his fist on the table, hard.

47 bit her lip and forced herself not to flinch.

"So you just laughed for no reason? No reason at all?"

"N-yes, yes sir," 47 said, hastily changing her answer midword.

"Hmm. Then you are obviously insane," the Captain said, looking quite smug with this 'revelation'.

"I…" 47 bit the sentence off, deciding that it would be best not to reply to that one.

'Shit. Shit. This is it. This is it, 47's dead for sure.' 05 tried not to think such negative thoughts, but it was so hard. And it was the probable truth anyway.

"Do you want to be sane again? Do you want us to help you?" the officer asked, his tone turning sarcastically gentle, dangerously kindly.

"No, no sir! I'm fine, sir!" 47's voice climbed a semitone or so higher.

'Don't panic! Keep calm, and don't fight!' 05 commanded her inside his head, but of course it had no effect whatsoever.

"Hmm. Well, they do say that the insane often don't want help when they need it most," the Captain mused, mock thoughtfully.

'Nonononononononono, please, Nataku, God, anyone!' 05 pleaded desperately to those who weren't alive on his friend's behalf.

47 gasped as she was grabbed roughly by the top of her arm and pulled roughly way from the table. "No…" she whimpered, utter terror on her pretty face.

"Oh, yes," the cruel man hissed back at her. 05 and the others could only watch numbly as the German girl was dragged away, whimpering in earnest now. Two other officers followed the pair out of the canteen, slamming the door behind them and cutting off any noise from outside.

A tear slid down 09's cheek and she covered her face with her hands.

OZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZOZ

(1) I know Septem's a General in the series, but in my little world there's only one General; the OZ dictator. And it sure as hell ain't Septem!

Sandy: Hmm. Wufei was right. It's about 6 pages…

Wufei: I told you so, you silly shojo!

Sandy: Hey, if you're going to call me anything like that then I prefer onna, thankyou very much.

Wufei: Fine, fine.

Sandy: HA! Now it's seven pages!

Wufei: Author's notes don't count!

Sandy: Oh, whatever. Well, anyway, it's longer than usual and it's mainly Wufei-centric. Just thought I'd throw in a little something for the Wufei fans out there.

Quatre: And still hardly anything done on her favourite character.

Sandy: Don't worry, that's definitely coming next chapter. Please review, it'll make me very happy and I'll get the next chapter out sooner! And surely you can guess who the mysterious Colonel is by now…? Well, if not, that's ok. It's not actually all that very clear, I suppose… I did give you a HUGE hint though! Come on, how many characters have a name sounding remotely like what Trowa said…?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Gundam Wing to you? Ok, I am Japanese, but no. Seriously, I do not own the Gundam boys, and I certainly have nothing worth suing me for.

Rating: R for safety, but this may change later.

Warnings: Um, good question. Shounen-ai/yaoi, violence, general cruelty all round. Language, angst (can't do without the angst!), OOC (I try my best, but sometimes they just slip out of character…), um… I think that's it. I'll be adding to this list as I go along, probably, so keep an eye on it people!

Pairings: Ooh, secret.

Author's notes: Sorry I took a while to update! -.-;;

**Thewarriorkai** – Yep, poor Hilde! I spent ages begging the OZ officers not to kill her… We'll have to see if they give in. Although knowing my plot bunnies…

**Armygundamgal**– Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

**Hkokuryuha + NailPolishBunny-** Ah, you'll see. better late than never, right?

KOKOKOKOKOKOKOK

By the time 'dinner' was over, 09 was in bitter tears and 04 was biting his lip and tongue to stop himself doing the same. He was so far succeeding, to 03's pride.

Swearing darkly under his breath in Mandarin, 05 walked on the left side of 04 and 09 (04 had his arm around 09's shoulders to comfort her) and 03 walked on the right to try and shield the two from any OZ officers that might decide to pick on them.

The officers escorting them seemed a little too amused at something; they constantly nudged each other and snickered, looking at the boys and sneering. 03 didn't like to think too hard on what their cruel minds dwelled on.

Once outside their cell, 04 gave 09 a last pat on the shoulders and she headed on towards her own cell.

Fumbling with the keys, Corporal Acht (1) managed to find and insert the right one, turning it with an almost chilling click. He turned and grinned broadly at the three teenagers. "I almost feel sorry for you," he said, mock-conspiratorially. "Your new roommate isn't very friendly. I hope he doesn't cause any unfortunate _accidents_ whilst in there with you."

04 frowned, and then his eyebrows rose in realisation. The colonist with a braid… glancing swiftly at 03 and 05, he could see that the same thought had occurred to them, although with 03, anyone other than 04 (and possibly 05 too) wouldn't have been able to spot it.

Corporal Acht pulled the door open abruptly, shoving 05 and 04 roughly inside, sending in 03 almost straight afterwards. He pushed hastily on the door, shoving it almost closed again, so that just a crack of light was visible from outside. This was accomplished in the space of three or so seconds, and just in time. A blur of motion could be seen as a boy hurled himself bodily at Acht, slamming himself into the door instead. "LEMME OUTTA HERE!" he screamed, blazing rage and hatred swirling madly in his voice.

04 and 05 started backing away just a little, and 03 followed suit after a moment's pause.

"No chance!" Acht's voice replied mockingly. "You're stuck in there forever, right where you belong. Though how you're able to stand up after the beating you got is beyond me…"

At the verbal reminder of his beating, the boy yelled wordlessly and slammed his shoulder into the metal door, but by that time it had been pushed firmly shut again, sealing off the artificial lighting.

"Motherfucking son of a bitch-cunt!" the boy swore creatively. He placed his hands on the door and braced himself against them, letting his head hang in between his arms. Then he abruptly spun around, his long braid whipping the door. 05 didn't exactly flinch as such at the sudden movement, he just tensed his muscles as though preparing for a fight.

But he needn't have bothered. Gone was the twisted snarl of animalistic anger, gone the demonic loathing in the boy's eyes. In their place was a friendly, amiable grin and harmlessly inquisitive eyes which, the others could see now, were a very peculiar shade of violet.

"Hi there!" the boy said, tilting his head a little to the side. "I'm Duo Maxwell. I run and I hide, but I never tell a lie. Pleased ta meetcha!" He stuck out his hand.

There was a few seconds of bewildered and apprehensive silence from the three others. The boy – Duo Maxwell – was evidently unstable. Either that or he had a serious case of MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder). Which counted as unstable anyway.

"… 4603." 05 was surprised when 03 was the first to respond in a likewise friendly manner; he'd expected it to be 04.

"Heh, nice ta meetcha, 4603." The braided colonist shook 03's hand firmly. "But seriously, what's ya name?"

03 blinked. "I don't have a name. None of us do. What's your number?"

Now it was Duo Maxwell's turn to blink. "Ya can't be serious, righ'?" he ventured. "O' course ya have names. Just cos OZ gave ya numbers, it don't mean ya don't have names no more."

"We were given a drug," 04 offered shyly. "It erased the memories we had of our names and colonists who were sensitive to the drug lost some memories of their family, friends, even lives."

Duo Maxwell frowned. "No kiddin'?" he said. "How the hell can they do that? The mind's a complicated thing, there ain't no way they could do somethin' like that…" he trailed off, looking thoughtful. "Huh, so that's what the spiker was."

"Spiker?" 04 echoed, looking puzzled. "What's a spiker?"

"An injection," Duo clarified, grinning. "Seems I'm immune, huh? Good fer me."

He walked over towards the three nameless boys. Duo had a bouncy, energetic gait that seemed to compensate for his lack of height; he was only about 5 foot 6 at the most, which was a good three inches shorter than even 04, who was 5 foot 9-and-a-bit. He stopped about a metre and a half away from them, sitting down suddenly and leaning back against the wall, putting his hands behind his head and looking up at 03. "What did ya say ya number was?" he asked.

"4603," 03 recited. "Or just 03."

"We call each other by the last two digits in our numbers," 04 explained, smiling gently, still looking a little shy and wary. "What's your number?"

"Ooh, toughie. 2531402," Duo chuckled. "Hope I still remember that in the mornin', huh?"

Sitting down a metre away from Duo, 04 asked, "May we call you 02? I don't think I can remember your full number."

Duo shook his head emphatically. "Nuh uh. No can do. OZ calls me by a number. I'm a human being with a name, and I'm gonna use it thankyou very much."

"But… but we're not allowed to have names…" 04 said uncertainly.

Duo laughed, a merry and sincere sound that warmed 03 somewhere deep inside. He also sat down, next to 04 but not by the wall.

"Allowed schmallowed," he replied cheerfully. "If ya my enemy, ya can call me by my number. If ya my friend, or at least ya don't got no hostile feelin's towards me, than ya call me Duo. Or Maxwell at the very, very least. Kapeesh?"

"Um…" 04 looked helplessly at 03 and 05.

"Sure," 03 said unexpectedly. 04 gaped at him in surprise. "I think you're right. You're incredibly lucky to still have your name, and I won't take that away from you."

The already large grin grew both in size and sincerity. "Thanks man," Duo said, a little softer than his previous tone. "I'm jus' sorry I can't do the same fer you." He paused, then brightened, suddenly looking excited. "Hey, hang on a sec!" he exclaimed, sitting up straight. "There was a document in a computer, a really, really long one, and the fuckers who did me over put my name, age an' number inta it. If ya tell me ya numbers, I bet I could find out ya real names!" Duo gabbled excitedly.

There was a split second pause, then 04 and 05 said, "No!" firmly, and in perfect unison.

"You'll be caught and killed!" 05 snapped. "It's not worth the risk."

"Aww, didn't know ya cared," Duo said in a goofy voice, batting his eyelashes teasingly. "Come on, I ain't gonna get caught. Sneakin' around is what I do best. I'm real good at it too, honest ta God!" he said, placing a hand over his heart melodramatically. "Duo Maxwell never lies."

"No!" 05 barked. "And that is absolutely final!"

Looking amused, Duo answered, "And ya really think ya can stop me?"

05 started to say something, but he stopped. There was an odd glow in Duo's eyes that set 05's instincts bristling. It was a very faint shadow of how Duo's eyes were when he was attacking the door and screaming profanities at Corporal Acht. 05 suspected that had he been close enough when he had first seen Duo enter the camp, he would have seen the same then too.

"Heh. Wise," was Duo's only comment before the shadow was gone, vanished like a bad dream. 05 became even more convinced that Duo wasn't entirely mentally sound. "Don't ya wanna know what ya names are? Ya'd probably get back all the memories ya lost with ya name too," Duo continued persuading as though nothing had happened.

"Fine, but if you get caught, don't blame us," 05 sniffed haughtily. He got up and went over to his blanket, tucking himself underneath it with the air of a cat who'd just had its fur ruffled.

The fact that he had acquiesced showed just how badly he did actually want to know; 05 could be as stubborn as hell, especially over something like this. It made him a very good friend in that he would fight very hard to stop his friends doing anything that wasn't a good idea. He'd saved 03's life once by insisting that a coat 03 had spotted lying in the corridor belonged to one of the officers, even though it had no OZ insignia on it whatsoever. He had been correct and managed, after nearly twenty minutes of heated (on 05's side at least) argument, to convince 03 to leave it alone, thus saving 03's life. Had 03 taken the coat for extra warmth (it had been winter then), it would have been viewed as 'stealing from authority' and he would surely have been killed.

"Great," Duo beamed. "Ya'll have ya names back within the week, if I can manage it," he promised. Then he yawned suddenly, stretching out his arms in front of him. "Man, I'm tired," he said, his voice suddenly sounding sleepy. "Night." And with that, he curled himself up into a ball and closed his large eyes, looking for all the world like an innocent young child.

03, 04 and 05 from under his blanket looked at one another uneasily. The boy had to be at least bipolar, if nothing else. Although that didn't seem to be the case, seeing as Duo was attempting sleep.

Raising an eyebrow a fraction of a centimetre, 03 shrugged and picked up his own shabby blanket. 04 followed suit, but then paused and frowned in concern at Duo. The cause for his concern was apparent after a moments scrutiny; Duo's breathing was shallow and irregular, and although he was curled up in a tight ball his arm could still be seen cradling his ribs. 03 recalled that Duo had been beaten, brutally if he was any judge of OZ, and had to be in quite a lot of pain.

"D-Duo?" 04 ventured. There was no reply from the boy with the braid, no sign that he'd heard. "Duo?" 04 tried again, a little louder. Still, nothing.

"He can't be asleep already, surely?" 04 said, incredulous.

"It's possible that he has a similar brand of meditation to myself," 05 offered, though the look on his face clearly indicated that he didn't think Duo capable of learning such a complicated and hard-to-master skill.

04 shrugged. "Maybe," he said. Crawling over on hands and knees, 04 carefully draped his blanket over the presumably sleeping boy. 03 tensed, ready to leap forward and propel 04 out of the way if necessary, but Duo didn't stir.

"There," 04 murmured quietly. "He's too thin. He'll get cold."

05 raised a sceptical eyebrow. "And you're not?" he asked pointedly.

The only answer he got was a shrug and a kindly smile, so typical of the mild, tender boy known as 3904.

"Do you think he'll really manage to get our names back?" 05 couldn't help but ask, a hopeful note chiming in his voice. He was lying down still, but had rolled over to face 03 and 04.

"It might be tricky, seeing as he only knows 03's number," 04 pointed out, smiling.

03 gave an amused huff, then tossed his blanket to 04, who instantly threw it back. "No, I'll be fine, honest," 04 insisted.

The green eyed youth shook his head firmly. "You're ill."

05 blinked and scowled, furious that he'd forgotten about something so important. "Listen to 03," he said, sitting up to better accentuate his glare. "You need warmth if you're to get better. And if you dare try to argue, I'll glare you into next week!" 05 threatened. It was actually a valid threat, as most of the colonists who knew 05 would tell you.

Aquamarine clashed with onyx, but after a few seconds 04 sighed and the aquamarine lowered, defeated. "Fine," he grumbled. 05 looked smug and lay down again. "Night," he said.

"Night. Thanks for the blanket, 03."

"No problem. Be strong. Night."

Silence took over the cell, and no-one saw a solitary glitter of moisture trickle out from under Duo's shut eyelids.

KOKOKOKOKOKOKOK

(1) Inspector isn't in the OZ hierarchy in my little world, I'm afraid.

Sandy: Aww, my poor darling Duo! I love him so very much. Apologies for his language, he did grow up on the L2 streets you know. -Sweatdrop-

Anyway, please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Gundam Wing to you? Ok, I am Japanese, but no. Seriously, I do not own the Gundam boys, and I certainly have nothing worth suing me for.

Rating: R for safety, but this may change later.

Warnings: Um, good question. Shounen-ai/yaoi, violence, general cruelty all round. Language, angst (can't do without the angst!), OOC (I try my best, but sometimes they just slip out of character…), OCs (forgot to mention this earlier, oops), um… I think that's it. I'll be adding to this list as I go along, probably, so keep an eye on it people!

Pairings: Ooh, secret.

Summary: Alternative Universe: OZ is the victor of the One Year War. The Gundams never existed. Three of the boys live in a Labour Camp for colonists, and they've resigned themselves to their fate. But then something, or rather someone, arrives and becomes a shining beacon of hope in the darkness...

Author's notes: Good grief, I thought I'd put this chapter upages ago! But apparently not… And I can't find it anywhere on my damn computer… So that is why this chapter is late in coming out. Sorry! -Meekly hands out cookies-

**Thewarriorkai**: Again, I say thankyou, especially since you keep on writing me long reviews! I'm glad you like the way I write Duo

**The Shell**: Hmm, I've been toying with that idea actually. Should I or should I not have Wufei and the Colonel form a relationship…? I haven't decided yet… What are everyone's views on this?

**Nita-Sama** and **Krissy220**: Thankyou for reviewing! You make me happy. And don't worry, Heero will make an appearance soon, if not in this chapter.

(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)

03 was, as per usual, woken up at half past five by an OZ officer banging loudly on the metal door. As per usual, he was shouting at them to, "Wake up, you lazy dogs, or I'll come in there and beat the shit out of you!" And as per usual, 03 blearily stood up, stretching extensively in an attempt to remove some of the stiffness to make way for the stiffness that would come later in the day.

Not per usual, 03 stepped forward onto a slim ankle.

"OW! Fuckin' ow! Hey, no need ta step on me, I'm fuckin' awake already!"

The words, spoken in petulant tones, made 04 smile sleepily as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "03, don't step on poor Duo," he admonished, looking amused.

"You think I stood on him on purpose?" 03 retorted indignantly. Well, it sounded indignantly for him; it wasn't really more than a slightly faster talking speed.

Standing up and stretching luxuriously, reminding 03 vaguely of a cat, Duo laughed his infectious laugh. "Hey, no worries," he grinned. "Didn't really hurt all tha' much anyways." He yawned and 03 caught a brief glimpse of a long, pink tongue that flicked upwards just as Duo's mouth closed. 03 glanced over at 05 to see if he was awake, and was intrigued to see the odd expression on his face. He was looking at Duo, head tilted to the side slightly, eyes just a tiny bit wider than normal, looking quite unlike his usual grumpy self.

Before 03 could dwell on this further however, the metal door swung open to reveal Corporal Acht, an ugly sneer on his unpleasant face. "Get out, unless you don't want breakfast," he barked. 03 could see that he was carrying a menacing looking truncheon-type weapon; evidently, he expected trouble from Duo. But he was to be disappointed (or relieved), as Duo did nothing worse than fix a disturbing glare on him, which didn't abate until the group reached the dining block.

"At last," Duo muttered to 04, grinning, "food! I haven't eaten fer a while, an' I'm starvin'…"

"I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'food'," 04 answered dryly.

"Hell, if it can be digested without too much o' a fuss, then s'food s'far as I'm concerned," came the cheerful reply.

The four sat down at their usual table, 03, 04 and 05 ignoring the hushed whispers and stares that were directed at Duo. The recipient of such interest, however, was puzzled. "Yo, guys? Why's everyone lookin' at me?" Duo asked, fidgeting a little. He obviously disliked the attention.

"Probably because of the impractical thing you call a braid," 05 replied, seemingly back to his usual self, picking up the plastic spoon in front of him and prodding the rations dubiously.

Duo chuckled amiably. "Sure, it's impractical, but I manage, an' I ain't cutting it off fer no good reason." He also picked up his spoon and scooped up several of the small brown things on his plate, sniffing them once before popping them in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed them and grinned. "Tastes abou' as good as it looks," he said. Then, abruptly changing the subject, "Is it cos I wasn' caught fer nearly a year? Or cos I attacked some o' the officers? Or jus' cos I'm new?"

"Probably all three, and more besides," 04 answered before starting on his own breakfast. "Which reminds me, how did you manage to hide for so long? And where were you? The rumours say Spain, but…" he shrugged.

He received an amused and slightly bewildered blink. "I got _rumours_ goin' round 'bout me?" Duo asked, looking as though he couldn't decide whether to laugh or be scared.

"Course you do. Most of them are speculating rumours, though, no-one's really decided anything about you yet." 09 sat down at the table opposite 03, her eyes red and puffy.

Duo gave her a friendly smile. "Hey there," he said. "Don' think I've seen ya 'fore. What's ya na… Um, number?"

"1009," 09 replied curtly before starting to eat.

"She's a good friend of ours," 04 said.

"Nice ta meetcha, 1009," Duo chirped in his upbeat tenor. "Can I call ya 09? Or is that too friendly for ya?" 03 couldn't hear any sarcasm in the last sentence; it seemed perfectly sincere.

"Whatever."

Duo didn't seem put off by 09's brusque attitude; he carried on talking as though 09 was being equally amicable. "Is ya hair colour natural?" he asked, head tilted a little to the side in a way that made him look childish, charming and, 05 thought privately, rather cute.

"Are your eyes natural?" 09 retorted snidely.

She looked very surprised (as did everyone else there; they had all assumed what 09 had assumed) when Duo replied, "Yep! 100. Weird, huh? They change colour too, dependin' on the light."

"Really?" Despite her misery and wanting to be anti-social, 09 couldn't help but be curious.

"Yep. I didn't use ta like 'em, but now I think they're kinda cool. They freak a lotta people out, yanno? Useful when ya wanna glare at someone, like some random Ozzie officer."

"Who'd you get them from?" 09, having eaten about half her breakfast, began putting the remains in her pockets for the 3:00 break.

"… Who'd I get em' from?" Duo echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Um, I _think_ I was born with 'em, but someone might've switched eyes with me when I was sleepin'…"

The look on Duo's face, as though he was seriously pondering the possibility, very almost made 09 smile. "No, I _meant_, who did you inherit them from? Your mother, father, grandparents?"

03 got the distinct impression that Duo was purposefully playing the fool in order to cheer 09 up. There wasn't really any way for Duo to know that 09 was grieving over 47, but it was fairly obvious that 09 had been crying copiously.

Duo shrugged. "Couldn't tell ya. If ya ever spot someone older 'n say, 27, with eyes like mine, ask 'em if they ever had a son who they ain't seen in fourteen years," he said flippantly, looking perfectly unconcerned.

"Oh… So you're an orphan?" 09 asked, looking sympathetic.

"Again, couldn't tell ya. I assume so, but I don't really know. I was found by a guy call… Um, a guy on the streets, when I was abou' three."

09 thought about this for a moment, before blinking and looking a little sheepish. "Heh, sorry, I don't know your number?" she said, looking appreciably less miserable than she had five minutes before.

"Oh boy. Um…" Duo wrinkled his nose. "2538402. No, that's wrong, it's 253_1_402. Not 8. Yeesh, how does OZ 'spect me ta remember that!"

09 nodded. Then may I call you 02?"

"Duo," 04 and 05 said simultaneously. 09 looked at them, puzzled.

"Duo Maxwell. I run and I hide, but I never tell a lie," Duo recited, repeating word for word what he'd said to the others when introducing himself.

"You… still have a name?" 09 said quietly, looking at Duo with surprise. When Duo nodded, she smiled wistfully. "You lucky thing. Can I call you Duo in private then? When OZ can't hear?"

"Sure thin'," Duo replied, grinning. "I was gonna ask ya ta do that anyways."

"How come you still have your name? Did the drug not work on you? Or did OZ not give you it?"

"I'm immune, I guess. My immune system's real weird, but dead good. I don't think I've been ill fer…" Duo wrinkled his nose again, like he always did when he was thinking, 05 realised. "Um, ever, come ta think of it. Oh, I had flu once, when I was about ten or so, but that's it."

"Cool," 09 said, a small smile on her pale face.

The conversation turned towards the work they did at the camp; Duo decided that metalwork sounded the best, seeing as it wasn't too physically taxing, and besides, he liked that sort of thing. He was a fairly good mechanic, he said, so it would be at least a tiny bit enjoyable for him, surely. 09 advised him not to advertise this, or else OZ would most likely keep him purposefully away from metalwork from sheer spite. Then Duo turned the conversation to animals somehow, and 09 and 04 reminisced affectionately on dogs they had kept (04 had two golden labradors and a springer spaniel, 09 had an albino greyhound), and even 05 offered up information on a black cat called Wei, which meant 'tail' ("I didn't name her, some idiotic toddler did! And he tended to call her Wei-Wei, which probably sounds daft even to you…"), of whom he had been rather fond.

By the time breakfast finished at five to six, 09 looked considerably happier, and 04 also looked as though some tension had left him, for which 03 was more than thankful. He had been concerned that the stress of worrying over both young 77 and 47 would worsen 04's illness, but he hadn't so much as coughed once since waking up.

It looked to 03 as though Duo was a blessing, even if he was insane. And the memory of Duo's ferocious behaviour towards some of the OZ officers seemed no more than a bad dream; in fact, it was almost forgotten.

03 hoped fervently that things would stay this way. And that 47 and 77 would be alright. As long as those two things happened, then 03 was sure 04 would be able to continue life in relative good health.

(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)

"Here? You're serious? Why the hell does the General want to come here?"

"Don't ask me, I just heard it from Corporal Trant."

"Trant?"

"Yeah. He says the General's arriving in three days, Friday the 25th."

"Hell… Guess that means we'd better make sure none of the colonists cause any trouble."

"Oh, I ain't worried about them. They're too fuckin' scared of us to try anything, especially if they know the General's coming."

"Maybe…"

"You're not convinced, Mueller?"

"… It's that colonist with the braid I'm thinking about. I don't doubt the others will be fine, but him…"

"Ah, shit… Forgot about him. Well, he'll just have to be corrected whenever possible in the next three days."

"Shouldn't we just execute him?"

"Are you bloody joking? I bet he's at least half the reason that the General's coming down. We capture the boy, less than a week later the General decides he's coming for a visit? Big coincidence."

"You might be right… Think it's worth asking the Colonel?"

"If you get the chance, then I reckon…"

"Lieutenant Nichol! Vid call from Lieutenant Colonel Merquise. God, what a mouthful of a name…"

"What's he want me for? He usually contacts Otto, doesn't he?"

"How should I know? But you'd better be quick, it sounded urgent."

05 watched silently as Lieutenant Nichol hurried off, digging (again! Bloody hell, he was on digging AGAIN) steadily, digesting the information he'd just overheard. Worry for the colonist whom he'd known less than a day nipped relentlessly at his insides, though 05 couldn't explain quite why he was so concerned. Probably because of the ease with which he'd cheered 09 and 04 up. And the fact that he'd managed to evade capture for so very long.

05 suddenly realised that Duo hadn't actually gotten round to explaining just how he'd stayed concealed. He made a mental note to ask again at dinner, then cleared his mind of thoughts and let the familiar meditative calm wash over him, soothing and strengthening him as he dug.

(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)

Sandy: -Cheesy advert-type music- To help me write faster, why don't you email me some suggestions on stuff you want put into the story, stuff you want to happen? Or if you can't be bothered to email me, then you could include suggestions etc in your reviews! (Perhaps this would be better, as it makes the review look longer… .;; heh heh, I have a thing for long reviews...) -End cheesy advert-type music-

Anyway, sorry again for this chapter taking so long. And I know it's short, I know, I'm sooooo sorry! I just can't write long chapters, the knack eludes me… I probably could if I sat down and really, really tried for ages… Maybe I'll try that sometime.

Review, please, and thankyou for your patience. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Gundam Wing to you? Ok, I am Japanese, but no. Seriously, I do not own the Gundam boys, and I certainly have nothing worth suing me for.

Rating: R for safety, but this may change later.

Summary: Alternative Universe: OZ is the victor of the One Year War. The Gundams never existed. Three of the boys live in a Labour Camp for colonists, and they've resigned themselves to their fate. But then something, or rather someone, arrives and becomes a shining beacon of hope in the darkness...

Warnings: Um, good question. Shounen-ai/yaoi, violence, general cruelty all round. Language, angst (can't do without the angst!), OOC (I try my best, but sometimes they just slip out of character…), OCs (forgot to mention this earlier, oops), um… I think that's it. I'll be adding to this list as I go along, probably, so keep an eye on it people!

Pairings: Ooh, secret.

Author's notes: **The Shell:** Everyone, you have The Shell to thank for this chapter. Her (I apologise so utterly profusely if you are in fact a guy) review really got my plot bunnies nibbling again. I am very, very grateful both for that and for your ideas and requests!

**NightmareShinigami:** LOL, fair enough ;; Thanks for reviewing!

And now, on with the chapter.

* * *

Duo gobbled down his dinner ('Beef Surprise'. No-one knew quite what the surprise was) in the space of a minute. "I'm absolutely fuckin' _starvin_'," he complained with a lopsided grin. "I didn' realise there ain't a lunch break." 

"Oh, damnit! We forgot to tell you to save some of your breakfast…" 04 trailed off, looking guilty.

Duo gave 04 an affectionate smile. "Hey, no worries," he said reassuringly. "It's not like you forgot on purpose, s'probably my fault fer rambling on at ya during brekkist."

A half-smile tugged at 05 at Duo's pronunciation of 'breakfast'. During dinner, 05 usually (but not always) liked to keep quiet; part of his technique to endure the torturous life they led. He would keep his eyes down, but would listen to the conversations and allow them to lead him into a sense of peace. The others had all learnt that during dinner, 05 wouldn't say a word even when spoken to (unless, of course, he was addressed by an officer). Unfortunately for 05, when 03 explained this to Duo in his gentle monotone, the self-proclaimed L2 street rat took it up as a challenge.

"Ya were workin' on diggin' again, weren't ya? Yeesh, must be real hard on ya. Ya don't seem too tired, though. How's that? Inner strength an' all that? Or maybe ya just real strong, I dunno. Care ta explain? Or, ya can just sit there like that and ignore me, that's fine too…"

"Duo, we _told_ you, today isn't a dinner-talking day for 05," 04 reprimanded gently.

Duo just shrugged and grinned. "Hey, the way I see it, if I try ta get him ta talk, I get to ramble on abou' any random thing, which means you an' the others can ignore me. An' 05 can jus' keep on bein' silent. Everyone's happy."

"Yes, but…" 04 floundered a little. "Surely it annoys 05. 05? Does Duo talking at you like that annoy you?"

05 debated internally whether to shake his head, nod or roll his eyes. He decided on the fourth option; keep still and silent.

"05? Does…" 04 was cut off by Duo laughing merrily. "What?" he asked, looking slightly annoyed.

"Nothin'. S'just, you're goin' on about how me tryin' ta get 05 ta talk must be annoying for him, yet you're doin' the exact same thing. But please, feel free ta continue," Duo chuckled, violet eyes sparkling in amusement.

04 kicked Duo under the table and resumed eating. Duo grinned, kicked 04 back and resumed chattering at 05. He somehow managed to keep up a monologue all the way through the rest of dinner, the others choosing not to interrupt him in favour of seeing how long it would be before either 05 cracked, or Duo ran out of things to say. To their surprise, neither happened.

At quarter to nine, the bell rung to signal the end of dinner. As one, the colonists stood up and took their plates to the front of the canteen where they stacked them in piles for the colonists who were on washing duty that evening to clean and put away. Once this was accomplished, 03, 04, 05 and Duo bid farewell to 09 and were escorted back to the cells for the night by a random corporal who none of them recognised. They reached their small cell and were pushed roughly inside. Duo was the first in (presumably to minimise his chances to make trouble) and 04 was last. He was given an especially hard shove and tripped, landing hard on the cold stone floor with a winded gasp. He sat up slowly, coughing and wheezing for breath.

"Watch your step," the corporal sneered. "Sweet dreams."

"And sweet dreams ter _you_, fucker," Duo snarled. 05 could heard a grin in his voice and spun round worriedly in time to see Duo punch the corporal in the stomach, hard. Winded, the corporal tried to yell for help, but was abruptly silenced as Duo brought both fists down on the back of his neck with a satisfying thump, knocking him out cold.

"D-Duo!" 04 gasped. He tried to say more, but was hit by a sudden coughing fit and doubled over, 03 kneeling by his side and rubbing his back with a very worried expression on his normally stoic face.

"04, you ok?" Duo asked. But something about his voice was different now; it was more clipped, concise. Concern still shone through, but it was dampened, as though someone had personified it and covered it with a thick blanket. Looking up at him, 05 stared hard at Duo's eyes, studying them suspiciously. Sure enough, violet flames were beginning to flicker into life, getting wilder and stronger by the second.

04 nodded, though it was evident he was having great difficulty breathing. Before 03 could contradict 04's affirmation, Duo's grin grew manic and he said, "Great. Keep the door open fer me, will ya?"

"Wha… Wait! Where are you…!" But 05's words were lost as Duo darted out of the metal door, giving it a passing shove; not enough to completely close it, but enough to make it look less suspicious to a patrolling officer.

"Where… Where does he think he's _going_!" 05 spluttered, alarmed and clearly torn between following Duo and staying with 04, who seemed to be getting steadily worse instead of better.

"He… He's…" 04 wheezed, before elapsing into coughs again.

03 immediately hushed him. "You shouldn't talk," he said firmly. "That fall brought back the coughing. Don't talk. Just breathe. Slowly."

The blond boy nodded, giving 03 a grateful look with his aquamarine eyes that were once so clear and full of life, but were now dulled and glazed over with exhaustion, stress and pain. It hurt 03 inexplicably, deep down inside him, to see 04's eyes in such a state. He shrugged off the feeling however, and rubbed gentle circles on 04's back to try and soothe the coughs.

As 03 did so, 05 moved towards the door, reaching out and pulling on the edge so that it was almost completely shut – only a tiny crack of light shone through. Then, having second thoughts, he pushed the door open again and dragged the unconscious officer inside the cell before repositioning the door. "There," he muttered, before sitting down in front of 04.

The coughs were gradually starting to subside at last, and 04 raised his head and sucked in a deep breath. "He's finding… the… database," he gasped, rubbing his chest with one hand while the other rested on the ground beside him, supporting him.

"Database?" 03 frowned. "What databa…."

03 and 05 looked at each other, incredulous. "He's going to find our names?"

04 gave them a weak smile and nodded. He leant gently against 03, who realised with alarm that 04 was shaking rather badly. "04? You're not alright, are you?" 03 said, more of a statement than a question.

"M'ok," 04 replied weakly. A sudden shudder ran through him. "M'just… just cold. That's all."

03 frowned, placing a hand on 04's forehead. "Cold? You're burning up!" he said worriedly.

"Really? I feel cold." As if on cue, another shudder raced through 04.

03 hesitated, then gently pulled 04 onto his lap where he held the smaller boy against his chest, arms wrapped protectively around him. "Shh…" he murmured soothingly, even though 04 wasn't making any noise. "Shh…"

He blinked in surprise as 04 suddenly snuggled into him, as though attempting to burrow into his warmth. The surprise turned to a much warmer emotion though, and 03 rocked 04, pale and shivering, slowly back and forth, never taking his eyes off him, seemingly forgetting everything else in the Universe other than the Arabic boy in his arms.

05 let them be, choosing to fetch his blanket and wrap himself up in it, lying down in his corner so that he could observe them unobtrusively. He saw the affection on 03's face, more obvious than ever. 03 wasn't troubling to mask it seeing as 04 was currently oblivious to it. He saw 04's contentment, ill as he was. It could be seen in the way his shoulders relaxed, the way his head was tilted more upward than was natural for the position he was in so that his nose was nestled comfortably in the juncture between 03's throat and shoulder. And though none of the three colonists in the room knew it, there was a small smile on 05's face, full of affection for his friends who were far fonder of each other than they cared to realise. But the smile was also tinted with sad wistfulness – an emotion that 05 didn't even know he felt. But it was there all right. It was there, showing the uncaring cell walls that 05 wanted what 04 had; someone to hold him in gentle arms, someone to murmur soothing words in his ear, someone to take care of him…

Someone to _love_ him.

* * *

Duo ran down the dimly lit corridors, sticking to the shadows at the edges. The boots he wore made very little noise, ensuring that he was as silent as it is possible for a running human to be. His black priest's clothing blended well with the shadows; half the reason Duo wore them. 

There was no grin on Duo's face now. He was concentrating carefully, remembering how he'd been brought to the cell he was staying in, then reversing it to try and find the room that held the computer. It was hard; he had been barely conscious most of the way, and in a lot of pain from the beatings he'd been given. Nearly half the corridors Duo hurried down were wrong turns, forcing him to backtrack and find the correct way. But far from frustrating him, Duo was enjoying the challenge which was made all the harder by officers patrolling the buildings.

His eyes glowed sinisterly and he wished he'd thought to take a weapon from the corporal he'd knocked out. Then he wouldn't have so much of a problem hiding from the Ozzies; he could just kill them and be done with it. Never mind, too late now. It would be too risky to knock another one out and take their weapons instead. They might be able to raise the alarm before reaching unconsciousness, and that would be a disaster.

He was very close to the computer room now. He recognised the dark blue door that said simply, 'Detention Cell B'. From there, he went left, and then left again.

"Bingo," he murmured, the manic grin creeping back into place.

He was standing in front of the computer room, the large double doors giving it away. Duo smirked and crouched down, unzipping his left boot partway and sliding a couple of fingers inside, feeling for the hidden pocket. He located it quickly and fished out a pair of slim metal objects, shaped like wires. One was roughly two inches in length, the other three.

Duo pushed the two inch one back into the hidden pocket and zipped the boot back up again, standing up with the three inch piece of metal in his hand. It was a lockpick designed specially for electronic locks. The one that Duo had dismissed was the lockpick that worked for the old-fashioned locks that were operated with metal keys.

Carefully, Duo inserted the lockpick in the slot meant for key-cards at a forty-five degree angle. Then he twisted it sharply, applying pressure so that the lockpick got jammed in the computerised mechanism. Using the jammed end of the lockpick as a pivot, he wiggled the other end slowly back and forth until the light above the lock suddenly glowed green.

Duo's eyes gleamed with satisfaction and he pulled the lockpick out with a twist, pulling each end until it was straightened out again before pushing the right-hand door open, slipping into the room as soon as there was a gap big enough. He shut the door and, having made sure that there wasn't an electronic lock on this side, he hid the lockpick in the top of his braid.

The computer room was bigger than he remembered it. The illusion of size disappeared however, once Duo turned on the light. He hurried over to the computer, sitting himself down in front of it and turning it on. He waited for it to load up impatiently, drumming his long, nimble fingers on the desktop until it was done.

"Lessee…" he muttered to himself, clicking on the third folder down which was labelled 'Colonists'.

Duo held down ctrl + f then typed in, '4505'. He pressed enter and the correct entry came up on the bottom of the screen. He scrolled down a little and read it, carefully memorising it. It said:

'**Chang, Wufei. L5. DOB – Dec. 31st BP 16**(1) **Date of registration – Feb. 8th CD 0**(2)**. Race – Chinese (Mandarin). Approx. height – 5"9/10.'**

Duo stopped reading at that point, as the rest of the information didn't seem useful. He searched for 3904.

'**Raberba Winner, Quatre. L4. DOB – Nov. 17th BP 16.** **Date of registration – Feb. 27th CD 0. Race – Arabic (Northern Egyptian). Approx. height – 5"9.**'

"Huh," Duo said out loud. "Happy late birthday, Quatre Raberba Winner."

Next was 4603.

'**Barton, Trowa. L3. DOB – Sept. 7th BP 17. Date of registration – Jan. 30th CD 0. Race – Caucasian (unknown, assumed American/English). Approx. height – 6"0.'**

Finally came 1009.

'**Noin, Lucrezia Alicia. DOB**'

Duo didn't get a chance to read any more as a cold voice cut through the air of the room. "Doing research, colonist?"

The self-proclaimed street rat was up and out of the chair in a flash, left forearm held up in front of his mouth and jaw from habitual instinct, right hand hitting the inside of the left forearm, instinct hoping to trigger the spring-loaded holster hidden there. Unfortunately, the knife holster had of course been taken from him when he was captured, and so nothing happened. But the nothing happening caused Duo to pause for a split second in consternation, mind furiously processing the fact that the knife wasn't there, and then realising why. That split second caused a fast downfall.

Three officers, two from the sides and one from behind, swiftly grabbed hold of Duo One of them swiped at the back of Duo's knees, forcing them to give way so that Duo was completely off balance. Duo struggled and kicked, but he was forced down to the floor and a pair of steel manacles was locked around his slim wrists behind his back.

One of the three officers was Captain Mueller. He hauled on Duo's braid until he was kneeling rather than lying, then grabbed his chin none too gently. "How the _hell_ did you get out of your cell?" he hissed angrily, teeth clenched.

Duo made as if to reply, but abruptly pulled his jaw away from the irate Captain and bit down on his calloused hand. Hard.

"_Bastard_!"

The Lieutenant on Duo's right brought his rifle across Duo's forehead with a sickening crack, causing Duo to relinquish his hold on the Captain's hand as he yelled out in pain. "Motherfucking bastard!" he swore furiously. He started to thrash around again, but the blow to his head had upset his balance and as he tried to get up one leg caved out from underneath him.

"Enough!" ordered the same cold voice that Duo had heard before. Purely out of desire to get a good look at who was talking, Duo obeyed, stilling himself and blinking trickles of blood out of his eyes. His forehead was a blaze of pain and he was having trouble focussing, but he was able to see that the person in front of him was none other than the OZ General himself.

Said General was fixing a stony stare at the colonist kneeling in front of him. He took in the ruffled clothes, the long chestnut braid that was somewhat scruffy from the struggle, the set jaw, the good-looking, attractive face, and the crowning features: twin orbs of blazing, fiery darkness. Dangerous, deadly, beautiful. 'Like a wildcat,' the General thought privately.

"This is the colonist who was captured just recently, sir," Captain Mueller said stiffly. Duo was savagely pleased at the expression of pain he wore and the blood that dripped through the fingers of his other hand, which was clutching at the wounded one.

"I guessed as much," the General nodded. He took a few steps forward so that he was barely a metre away from Duo. The long-haired boy was surprised to see that the General was even younger than he looked in newspapers or on television. He looked maybe about twenty, if that.

"What were you researching?" he asked in his quiet yet commanding monotone. Duo just smirked at him and got a vicious kick in the ribs for his lack of courtesy. He tried not to, but couldn't help but wince at the fresh pain.

"Other colonists," he ground out through gritted teeth.

The General raised an eyebrow just a fraction. "Oh? Which colonists?"

"Various ones," Duo shrugged, bringing his eyes up to meet the General's in a clash of violet and Prussian blue.

The young colonist's gaze was a challenging glare, but the General's was merely a cold gaze that hid completely how interested he was in this boy, the very reason he'd come to this Labour Camp in the first place.

To his amazement and utter fury at himself, Duo was the first to break the connection, dropping his eyes to the ground. He wanted to resume the glare, but found himself totally unable to look anywhere near the General's face. He put it down to the blow to the head he'd received and silently cursed the Lieutenant.

The General regarded Duo thoughtfully for a moment longer before looking to Captain Mueller instead. "Take him to one of the detention blocks," he said. "I would like to talk to him in the morning."

The officers gathered there nodded and Captain Mueller tugged sharply at Duo's braid (one of his favourite activities now) to get him up, relishing the hate-filled glare that was directed at him. "Don't like me touching your braid, do you?" he sneered triumphantly. He was about to say more, but was stopped short.

"You will not touch him until the morning." The General was already half-way out the double doors, but upon hearing Captain Mueller's words he had spun around and had issued the command, levelling a glare at him.

Captain Mueller was stunned, but saluted hastily and nodded. "Yes, General Yuy," he said smartly before turning and pushing Duo through a small door at the back of the room.

* * *

(1) Stands for Before Peace, remember? 

(2) Colonists' Defeat.

Sandy: You have The Shell to thank for the idea of Duo being found by the General as well. .;; I hope it was to your liking. It's not fabulous, but it's longer than all my other chapters and I'm not very well right now, so… shrugs

And hey-hey, Heero has arrived! I'm not going to put it into any of the chapters as I'm too lazy to think of a way I could work it in, so I'm just going to say now; that's what Lieutenant Colonel Merquise (i.e. Sexy Zechsy) called Nichol to say. That the General would be coming earlier than planned, I mean.

The birthdays I used are all from this FANTASTIC site: (damnit! won't let me post the link! Hmph. Well, if you're interested, ask. Please, please do ask. It's such a great website.)

The sheer amount of time and effort put into this never ceases to amaze me. Read them, they're fascinating. Just in case the owner of this site is reading this (not very likely but possible of course), I hope you don't mind me putting the name of your site here! If you do, then email me and I'll get rid of it.

That's all for now I think, please review! Thankyou! And suggestions are appreciated. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Gundam Wing to you? Ok, I am Japanese, but no. Seriously, I do not own the Gundam boys, and I certainly have nothing worth suing me for.

Rating: R for safety, but this may change later.

Warnings: Um, good question. Shounen-ai/yaoi, violence, general cruelty all round. Language, angst (can't do without the angst!), OOC (I try my best, but sometimes they just slip out of character…), some OCs (forgot to mention this earlier, oops), um… I think that's it. I'll be adding to this list as I go along, probably, so keep an eye on it people!

Pairings: Ooh, secret.

Author's notes: -Shuffles sheepishly back into the world of MediaMiner- Um…

Wufei: -Raises eyebrow, taps foot-

Me: Erm…

Wufei: -Raises chin-

Me: -Breaks down- Alright, I admit it! I have been far too lazy and bogged down with things to update this fanfic! I admit it! -Sobs-

Quatre: Oh, that wasn't very nice, Wufei. She tries her best.

Me: Y-Yes. My best. Yes. -nods fervently-

So, here I am, Christmas has come and gone in a flash, and the New Year has begun!

**Bend and Snap: -**Meeps guiltily- I know, I thank you very much for your honesty. ;; I will honestly try harder from now on to update a little more than I've been doing recently… but I can't promise anything. -Throws hands up- C'est la vie. And about the title… Yeah, I'll put the name of the camp until I (or someone else, which is more likely…) comes up with a better title. Thanks for the kick up the backside.

**Pyrzm: -**Squeaks in awe- Wow, I'm flattered that you reviewed my fic. I discovered your fic 'Broken Warriors' recently, and I'm about halfway through. I didn't realise you were the author until just now, writing my author's notes… ;; So yeah, thanks.

**AsakaSama: **Have a muffin, you deserve one! I adore reviews that speculate (partly because I don't really know where this is going most of the time so I can steal ideas from people… -coughs- but you're not meant to know that), and yours made me laugh. And you can never have too many suggestions and weird theories.

Right, now that I've finished with my criminally long and rambly author's note…

* * *

'_Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit_…!'

All warm emotions that 05 might have previously felt had flown clear out of the proverbial window. "Where is he? It must be nearly an hour since he left!" he hissed.

"About forty minutes," 03 corrected mildly, not taking his eyes off 04 who was now sleeping fitfully.

"That's long enough! The building isn't _that_ big, and the information can't be that hard to find, surely? What -"

"05. Calm down. There's no need to assume the worst."

He was right, 05 thought reluctantly. He took a deep breath, letting his eyes slip shut. With the first flow of forced calm came annoyance; annoyance that he'd allowed himself to get this flustered in the first place. It really was ridiculous. 05 pictured a large box, then pictured himself opening it and locking all of the negative emotions inside. There. That was much better.

Caught in a haze of blurred, numbed pain and sleep, 04 felt the rifle connect with Duo's forehead for a second time and he whimpered.

* * *

"Fuck…" Duo murmured to himself. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking. He hastily shut them again, the light pulsing through his head, dim as it was. Hot damn. When he'd been knocked unconscious by a second blow to the head, he'd been positive that he was going to be administered a second beating. Yet, apart from the blow that had knocked him out, the soldiers had evidently obeyed the General's command. Apparently OZ had its loyalties.

"Are you ok?"

The distinctly feminine voice sounded close. Really close.

Duo forced his eyes open again, ignoring the pain as much as he could. Which wasn't much, to his irritation. The sight that met his vision was an interesting one. The first thing he noticed was that he was definitely back in one of the detention cells. The second thing his fogged brain registered was that there was a face hovering less than twenty centimetres away from his own. Odd really, the way the mind works under duress. "Woah!"

"Hey, hey, cool it," the girl said, hastily scooting back a bit. "Seriously, no sweat. I'm a colonist, same as you." She reached up to a round switch in the wall and dimmed the lights a little further. "There, is that better? You've probably got a concussion. There's an awful lot of blood, but head wounds bleed bad anyway, right? I think it's head wounds that do that, anyway…" she said, wrinkling her nose.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph…" Duo groaned as he sat up, managing to grin weakly at the girl. "Yeah, it's head wounds that do that. Y'ain't from L2 by any remote chance…?" he asked, almost completely sure that she was. The L2 accent was fairly distinctive, after all, even if the girl's wasn't nearly so pronounced as Duo's.

The girl smiled and nodded. She had wide, cerulean blue eyes that shone with kind friendliness, though the shadow of caution that was practically L2's trademark was evident too. "Yeah. Takes one to know one, huh?"

"Right." Duo lifted a hand and tentatively touched his forehead, wincing at the blood that came away with his fingers. "Ah, damnit. Could've at least gi'en me a warnin', the ruffians…" he sighed in mock haughtiness. The girl laughed.

"I'm 5647," she said, holding out a bruised hand.

Duo shook it, nodding at the bruise. "W'happened there?"

"Oh, I whacked it off a chair when I got beaten," 47 said, shrugging carelessly. "Stupid or what, huh?"

Grin somewhat recovered now, Duo nodded. "Well, better than havin' it stamped on," he commented. "I'm Duo Maxwell, by the way." He would have reeled off his motto, but his headache was really starting to get to him. "Dun bo'er askin' fer my number, cos I sure as hell can' amember it now. The las' coupla digits are 02, if ya wanna talk ta me when Ozzies are 'roun'." Duo's concussion meant that his voice was slightly off kilter, and it showed in the highly noticeable strengthening of his accent, not to mention the missed consonants on the ends of words.

"Ah. So _you're_ the run'way colonist. I thought so," 47 said. Duo couldn't quite figure out of her expression was one of muted awe or simple curiosity. "One o' the other colonists that was dropped in here, who left yesterday to go back to work, poor guy, said that there was a rumour going around the colonists that you'd retained ya name. I'm real glad it's true." There was the barest tint of wistfulness in her tone.

"Yeah? Be'er hope OZ dun find out. Hate getting' spiked."

47 agreed, smiling at the slang. "Haven't heard L2 street slang for a good coupla years. It's nice, I can tell ya."

"Uh huh. Y'ain't from the streets?"

"Nope. I grew up with a good home, good family. Lucky me, huh?"

"Lucky you." An intense tiredness was welling up inside Duo, demanding sleep at gunpoint. 47 noticed, and quickly reached behind her for a brown leather jacket that looked like it belonged to her. She folded it up and placed it on the cold ground.

"Here. You should get some sleep. Maybe when you wake up, you'll feel better, huh?" When a quiet chuckle made its way out from Duo's mouth, 47 stopped. "What?"

"Nothin'. Jus' reckon's cute, the way y'add 'huh?' ta th'end o' every few sentences…" Duo's slightly slurred voice trailed off as he lay down on the makeshift pillow, curling up into his habitual foetal position and letting his senses dim, then black out.

47 blinked in surprise, which turned into bewildered flattery. "Cute, huh?" She giggled a little when she realised that she'd done it again. "Well, it's nice of you ta say so, I guess. You're really cute too, Duo Maxwell."

* * *

When Duo next returned to the world of the living, he found himself with less enjoyable company than that of the blue-eyed, dark-haired girl.

"Wake up."

Duo stifled a groan. His headache was noticeably better, but he still ached from where he'd been knocked onto the ground before being thrown into a detention cell. He recognised the voice, though…

Opening his eyes, Duo's suspicions were confirmed. The General sat in a plain wooden chair opposite him, back straight, hands folded neatly in his lap. The door was ever so slightly ajar, presumably to let sound through to guards posted outside. "Wha's a'time?" he asked, voice rough. He cleared his throat twice. "What's the time?" he asked again, trying to restrain his accent as much as possible to make communication that tiny bit easier. Duo pushed himself off the floor so that he was sitting relatively comfortably, back to the wall adjacent to the door.

"Six am," the General replied crisply. His cold eyes tracked Duo's every movement with sharp precision, and Duo fiercely fought the urge to fidget under such close scrutiny.

"Really? Wow. I was out for what, seven hours? Roughly, anyways." A cheerful grin settled quickly into place. "I generally don't stay under that long, yanno."

"So Colonel Khushrenada informed me," the General nodded. Though Duo tried, he couldn't detect any reproach, any amusement, any emotion at all. It was downright unnerving.

"Uh, right." Duo swiftly banished the unsettled feeling he got. "So, waddaya wanna see me for?"

"I was… curious."

Gee. That cleared things up. Not. "'Bout what?"

"About you."

"Fuck," Duo muttered in exasperation. This guy was as bad as 03! No, scratch that, he was worse. At least 03 had emotions that were clearly displayed, if one looked hard enough. "What about me, exactly?"

"I don't think it's your place to ask that," the General answered coolly.

"Oh, ya don't?" Duo couldn't be bothered to reign in his accent any more. It was perfectly understandable anyway, he reckoned. And if this statue of a man didn't understand him, well, tough. "Ya don' think that it's my _place_? Whaddabout your _place_, huh! Ya think it's your _place_ ta imprison innocen' people in camps like this?" Duo forced himself to stand up, half leaning against the wall for support. "Ya think ya got the right ta say, hey, do what I tell ya else my brainless lackeys'll thump ya guts out! Don' you talk ta me about my _place_, buddy, cos as far I'm concerned, y'ain't even got the right ta have a place on this fuckin' earth!"

The silence that followed his infuriated outburst was punctuated only by Duo's harsh pants for breath. His fists were clenched at his sides, and General Yuy took this in, together with the angry body language. But what caught his attention the most was, again, the colonist's eyes. Just as Colonel Khushrenada had said; when this boy was angry, or meant harm, his violet eyes blazed with an almost inhuman light. When an officer mentioned it in Duo's presence, he had laughed and said, 'That's how ya know that'cha dancin' with Shinigami.' Or something along those lines, anyway.

After a good two, maybe even three minutes had passed, the General broke the silence. "I could have you disciplined for your disrespect. But as that would only prove you right, perhaps I'd better just let it go." Duo blinked and the violet flames dimmed slightly. That wasn't a dry attempt at humour, surely…? The General rose from the chair. "You will be escorted back to your cell." Faster than Duo could possibly have prepared for, the General moved forward and grasped hold of Duo's jaw. He held it tightly, but not painfully; just enough to let the surprised boy know that he could grip a whole lot tighter if he wanted to. "But I'd be very careful about what you say and do here. Next time you step out of line, I might have forgotten all about what you just said."

The flames were, incredibly, completely vanquished. Duo's eyes still glared with anger, but it would appear that the General was no longer 'dancing with Shinigami'. Very strange. And very interesting. He held the gaze a moment longer before letting go, turning neatly on his heel and walking briskly, smartly, out the door.

* * *

When 03 and 05 stumbled wearily into their cell after the day's toil, both supporting the utterly exhausted 04, they were delighted to find Duo staring thoughtfully at the wall, apparently none the worse for wear, except maybe a few bruises.

"Duo!" 05 said, surprised and relieved. "What happened? Did you get caught?" He carefully helped lower 04 to the ground. "Where have you been?"

"Got the info!" was the cheerful reply. 03, attuned to the workings of his fellow human beings as he was, noticed that the cheeriness was not wholly genuine, but he kept quiet. What could he say, after all? And besides, it was Duo's business, not his.

"Really?" 04 and 05 both chimed in unison.

Duo grinned, looking pleased at the expressions of hope on their faces. "Yep. Hey, didja doubt me?"

04 laughed wheezily, managing to look delighted even with fatigue clearly written on his drawn face. "Not at all. Though I did get a little worried when you got knocked out."

"Ha! Yeah, that was…" Duo stopped. "Hang on, what?"

"Hmm?" 04 didn't look aware that he'd said anything out of the ordinary.

"How did ya know I got knocked out?" Duo frowned, tilting his head to one side.

04 blinked. "Oh! Um, I guessed. By the mark on your forehead." He gave a small smile, but it was interrupted by a coughing fit that evidently caused him great pain. He clutched weakly at his throat with one hand, curling slightly in on himself to try and ease the coughs. 03 rubbed his back soothingly, displaying more emotion than Duo had ever seen him display.

"Hey man, y'ok?" Duo asked, letting the previous conversation slide in favour of concern. He scooted forward a little so that he was in front of 04.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." 04's voice was hoarse. He swallowed once, then looked up. "Anyway, so, did you get our names?"

"Hey, clean forgot 'bout that," Duo chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, I told ya I got 'em already. Ears open guys, cos I dun wanna have ta repeat myself." He cleared his throat and looked around him, in mock dramatic effect.

05 rolled his eyes. "Get on with it, Maxwell!"

"Keep ya tail on, buddy," was the mock-haughty reply. "Right, don't interrupt me, else I'll probably lose track o' where I am." Duo took a deep breath. "03, You're Trowa Barton of L3, born on the 7th o' September, BP 17. Or AC 189, whichever. 04, you're Quatre Raberba Winner (nice name, by the way) of L4, born November the 17th AC 190 (happy late birthday, buddy!). An' 05, you're Chang Wufei, Wufei Chang, whichever way round ya want it, from L5, born December the 31st. Makes sense ta me, ya seem kinda Capricorn-y." Duo panted for air, having reeled everything of in almost one breath, except the last four words. He kept quiet, watching the faces of his friends as they digested the information. 04, or Quatre, was saying his name very slowly under his breath, a tiny frown on his forehead as he rolled the name experimentally round his mouth. 03, Trowa, had his eyes closed and he was perfectly still. And 05, Duo was gratified to see, had a happy, contented smile on his face, eyes closed.

"I remember…" he whispered. "I remember now." He opened his eyes and looked at Duo. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"No problem, buddy," Duo smiled. He leaned forward and gave Wufei a hug, pleased when the other hugged him back. He was even more pleased however when he felt another pair of arms encircle him from the side, and yet another join from behind him.

Yes, this was worth it. To be the cause of so much joyful gratitude was well worth a bump on the head. Duo smiled blissfully and for a few brief seconds in the arms of his friends, all his worries were forgotten.

* * *

Sandy: Meh. Sap at the end there. -Sighs- Well, I had to throw _some_ sap in there, right? I mean, come on, I had nothing else to put!

Quatre: ;; I don't think you're meant to admit that.

So sue me. Only, don't!

-Gasp- 47 is alive! For now… If any of you remember her… I thought it was very unlikely that any of you would remember her number, so I tried to make it a little more obvious who she was, but reading over it I don't think I succeeded… So I'm saying it here. :p

Again, it's not very long, and it's not very good, but you should be used to that by now, right…? ;; Sorry anyway.

Please review, you'll make me the second happiest person alive! The first happiest being, of course, the librarian over there when I leave. She's been glaring at me while I've been finishing this chapter off, for some unknown reason. Must be a librarian thing. o.0


End file.
